A community that prized its isolation now feels a bit too alone.
“We are making just enough money to pay the bills,” said Rajiv Panchal, owner of the Idyllwild Bunkhouse, a motel that sits on the crippled highway on the north side of town. “Now, every day we are asking, ‘For how many more days can we keep going?’”But Panchal and other Idyllwildians express a determination to hang on. “It just comes back to the magical thing about Idyllwild,” said Dora Dillman, a real estate agent who has lived here for more than 40 years.
In community meetings, Caltrans has explained that it is trying to provide as much drive time on the two-lane road as it can, to support local businesses and residents, while still leaving as many hours as possible for work crews.“You’re getting a new road. We’re not putting a Band-Aid on it. It’s not getting fixed with duct tape and staples.
“You’re getting a new road,” Richard Rusnak, a Caltrans geotechnical engineer, told 400 people at a June public hearing.Advertisement Riverside County has responded with an ad campaign, including electronic billboards urging consumers to “Escape to Idyllwild” and assuring them that Highway 74 is open on weekends. “Some customers told me they saw this or heard the news on TV and they were here to support the business,” said Anne Stroud, owner of the Red Rabbit Boutique. “That was so nice.”
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